Shoveling-machine.



(litany-yaw F. M. HEWITT. SHOVELING MACHINE. APPLICATlON FILED IAN.4.1915.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

4- SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. M. HEWITT. SHOVEUNG MACHINE. APPLICATION HLED |AN.4,19!5.

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Patented Jan. 23, 191".

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Patented Jan. 2?, 191? 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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es lei n filed Kenuery e, 1915. Serial 1%. 511.

To all '20 7mm it may concern:

Be it known chat- 1, FRANK rlnivrr'r.

a. citizen of the United States, residing at Goldfield, in the county of Esmeralda and State of Nevada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements shoveling-Machines, of which the following is specification.

This invent on rehies machines for e10 cevating, in. particular relates to me chines of iris ii-vpe which a adapted to pick up loose in hi on vey it to some do d mace.

21s principal time 1 his 'eternplales the pro ion of an excavator 01 the chain and bucket ope so celled Whicl will be particularly adapted for use in min ing and the like Work in operating in tunnels and drifts to remove the muck pile or accumulations of dirt rock, ore and other loose materials dislodged by sting charges.

manually operated shovel. 'emoin substantially the position except at the moment of unloading and of preparing to load.

'lhe details of conslruction, arrangement, and operation the invention are as ..1

Figure 1 is voting machine. view. 3 is ei, A tion of lhe upper pore shovel idewcy. F

1 drawing the ("dies my invention, she conneclged with conveyor claimed.

s and conarranged in a trough-like frame 36, which is pivoted at its lower or front end and its rear end supported adjustably on vertical rack bars 422 that engage pinions by means of which the conveyor frame'is raised or lowered, as required.

A motor is mounted on the front frame 10, and i hrough the medium or" shaft-end spur gearing it not only propels the excevctor but also drives the apron 48 of the conveyer likewise, through the medium of chain and. sprockefi mechanism the motor dri es the endless chain of buckets forming of the excavator. The rear upper end of the excavator overhangs the front and lower end of the conveyor, so that it is adapted to deliver material upon the endless apron 4C8.

The excavator Will now be described with special reference to the features embodying my invention.

It should be understood that this invention contemplates a machine of such small dimensions as will successfully operate in the ordinary mining drift or tunnel.

The endless chains and rollers of the eX- cevator portion of machine are incesed-the frame or the excavator forming the outer casing, a groove being provided on the inside elongside each guidewsy for passage of axles of rollers.

As a means lo prevent the point of shove from striking on edge of plot While loading near edge. the adjustable apron 91 is provided. This apron is accurately curved and s-ositioned with the line of travel of empiy shovel and extending over the edge of glut allowing "e'hc shovel to travel from u to plot. The smell Wheels EZOere adjiusii fl lo run either on rails or plot.

' numeral 90-see Fig. L-indicctes the poinfi of connection between the excavm tor and cocveyer portions of the machine. 1 rec'aice, the lapped portions of the excovecor and conveyor are secured. together vhich enable them to be easily dcseparated.

miller chain and broadly speaking and includes -3 ol? toops or shovels, each prorollers on ouch of its each pair being endless chain which all cl fihe scoops, 'MPSliLlJGS will the rollers 1 oning each oi"- the shovels at any point in the circuit. This roller guideway includes a pair of trackways for each side of the scoop suitably supported as a whole by the frame 55, being braced in pairs by the I-brackets so and being individually supported by substantially (To shaped brackets 57, each trackway of this pair including three vertically alincd guides 58, 59 and 60, the first two of which cooperate with a pair of rollers (ll and (32 journaled on each side of each shovel as shown in Fig. 6 when the said shovel or scoop is being raised to the point of dumping into the conveyor when loaded, and the last of which receives bothot these rollers 01 and 62 when thescoops are being successively lowered after the dumping process. All oi these guides include oppositely disposed U- shaped members and ill between which a constant space is maintained sullicient to accommodate the 'arious rollers. The axles or trunnicns of each pair ol. rollers ol which are situated at the forward portion of the scoop sides are extended to connect with the operating sprocket chain (35 ol" the excavator mechanism by means of the link Go,

this chain following the path of the upper per portion 75 of the second or intermediate and lower guides 58 and so since it is in these guides only that the forward roller 61 passes -this chain e5 being trained over the terminal sprockets 67 as well as the smaller intermei'gliatc direction-changing sprockets 68 and the lower terminal T0;

In detail the guide 58 is provided with the lower open end 71 and is upwardly and rearwardly inclined toward the conveyer portion 37 being formed at its upper extremity with an arcuate deviation 72 from the straight path of travel, which deviation merges by the abrupt curve 73 into a reversely directed curve '74. which bridges the vertical space between this guide and the upguide 59. Similarly the upper guide member 63 of the third and lowermost guide so is connected to the lower guide member (H of the'mentioned intermediate guide while the lower member (31- of this said third guide 80 is formed with an extended bight portion 76. Pivotally bridging the outl'etfo i this latterly mentioned bight, and further bridging the upper opening of the intermediate guide 59 are the swinging short guide porminus 79 which the scoops traverse when shoveling up their load from the pile of" loose material and which connects with the intermediate guide .59, the mouth of which latter 80 is horizontally spaced from the mouth T1 of the upper conveyor a distame equal to the horizontal space between the rollers (31 and (52 of the scoops so that the latter is permitted to be bodily lifted when loaded to be returned to the conveyor in a substantially horizontal position.

.Since the downward incline of the lower guide U0 is too steep to permit of the proper positioning of the scoop with reference to the movement of the entrant portion into the loose material a switching means is interposed on this lower hide to remedy this fault as illustrated in rig. T. This switch is designated by the numeral 81 having its lower portion formed by the lower guide member ill of the mentioned guide upon which it is l ormedfthis member til. being arcuatcly bent for this purpose. An intermediate portion lorms one portion of both the main trackway and the switch. having the member 8;! arcuately forming the inner switch line and meeting the main trackway inner line member 83 at the point 84; to which pivoted a swinging gate 85 adapted to lit into the out out portion 86 formed in the member (33 of the main trackway when the switch is being traversed by the rear rollers (32 of each scoop. The ends of the inner line members of both switch and main track- 'ay 82 and 83 are spaced at the opposite extremity to the terminal 84. and this space is adapted to be bridged by the substantially L-shaped lever 87, the arms of which are at an angle so that the switch is normally closed for the travel of the forward rollers (ll of each scoop until the latter contacts with the other arm of the lever which in being depressed to bridge the mentioned space elevates the first arm in the manner illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. U to open the switch for thesecond or following roller (12 of the successive scoops.

In operation the :lioregoing description of the specific construction taken in connection with the detailed and assembled views shown in the drawings is believed to necessitate little enlargement. It should be understood, however, that when blasting or drilling. sectional platforms are laid across the rails of 'lnllle, trackways to form a.- smooth bottom from which is shoveled the loose materials dislodged by blasts of an explosive or other means. Accordingly when. the excavator comprehended by this invention is directed toward a pile it is desired to remove, the small balance wheels 20 provided on the forward portion of the frame 10 are adapted to rest upon these platform sections or plats and progresses over these sections" until theyare successively cleared at which time they may be arecao removed. It should also be understood that the height of the excavator and the conveyer when in its lowered position, above the rail, shall not exceed the height of the cars used in any particular mine, thus permitting the machine to pass under chutes when'being moved from one part of mine to another, the short pivoted rear section of conveyer extending far enough over the car to allow the load to be evenly distributed in same, this short pivoted section of conveyer 37 being placed in vertical position flush with rear end of frame of machin after eXcavav tor has been removed, the main portion of conveyer being moved forward and brought into line with the forward part of frame 10. As the loaded scoops reach the top of the guideway the rear roller 62 forces the gate 78 int reverse portion 74 forming a continuation of the upper portion 75 of the intermediate guide 59. The scoop is dumped by action of forward roller on the curved guides 72 and 73 and the action of the rear rollers on guide portion 77, which bridges the outlet of the bight 76. Subsequently, the weight of the scoop forces the forward roller 61 downwardly through the reversev portion 74 until the upper open mouth of the lower guides 60 is reached thereby where the continuous action of the moving chain on the shovel will ai 'n cause forward progression of the scoop.

It will be seen, from a consideration of the foregoing that means have been definitely disclosed whereby the objects previously presented are capable of attainment and it is accordingly manifest that this invention may be claimed as possessing the desirability and advantages set forth in such objects.

While in the foregoing, however, there has thus been illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification such combination and arrangement of elements as constitute the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is desired to emphasize the fact that such minor changes in the matters of proportion and degree may be made in later adaptations of this device as shall not alter the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the type described, an

' excavator element including an endless traveling chain, scoops linked to said chain, a pair of rollers for each side of each scoop, and means cooperating with said rollers for dumping said scoops without causing the overturning thereof.

2. In a machine of the type described, an excavator element including an endless traveling chain, scoops linked to said chain, a pair of rollers carried by each side of each scoop, and guideways comprising oppositely disposed portions for cooperating with said rollers in dumping said scoops without causing the overturning thereof.

3. In a machine of the type described, an excavator element including an endless traveling chain, scoops linked to said chain, a pair of rollers carried by each side of each scoop, a pair of guideways, each independently coacting with one roller of a side between the loading and dumping points for Said scoops, converging portions formed on said guideways adjacent said dumping point, arcuate and revcrsely arcua-te portions connecting said guides to alter the path of said rollers and to dump each scoop, and a third guideway connected to one of the first said guideways at the dumping and loading points for returning said scoops to the latter point without causing their overturning.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK M. HEWITT. Witnesses PATRICK J. CARMODY, JOHN TRnLow. 

